#8 Preparing for the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Code: Safe Student Accommodation

This article is the eighth instalment in a 12-part series supporting institutions to prepare for the proposed National Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education.

I’ve long argued that student accommodation isn’t just a roof over someone’s head, it’s where they study, sleep, socialise, and try to feel at home. That makes it one of the most critical settings for gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response.

The Safe Student Accommodation standard of the Code calls for student housing, whether university-owned or privately managed, to meet the same expectations as the rest of the institution. That includes clear standards, trained staff, safe culture, effective response systems, and appropriate oversight because students don’t stop needing safety and support when they leave the classroom.

What the standard says

Student accommodation providers must:

• Maintain safe, inclusive environments that prevent GBV,

• Provide clear, accessible information on reporting and support,

• Train residential staff in GBV prevention and trauma-informed response,

• Embed codes of conduct that reflect institutional standards,

• Respond appropriately and consistently to disclosures,

• Report and monitor GBV-related data within a continuous improvement framework.

*Additional specific requirements relate to the declaration of personal relationships (including those involving student leadership), the recruitment of staff, timeframes for risk assessment, and adoption of university policy (or development of your own).

For leaders and decision-makers

This standard applies to all forms of student housing (on-campus, affiliated colleges, third-party partnerships, and commercial providers). Here’s where your leadership is essential:

• Map your accommodation ecosystem: Do you know which providers house your students? What agreements are in place? What expectations and reporting lines exist? Formalise relationships, audit expectations, and clarify roles.

  
  

• Embed GBV standards in contracts and MOUs: Whether it’s a university residence or an external provider, your agreements should require alignment with institutional GBV policy, mandate regular staff training, include expectations around disclosures, escalation, and student support, and include data sharing and reporting arrangements.

  
  

• Fund the people who do the work: You can’t create a respectful, safe community on goodwill alone. Residential teams need dedicated training budgets, adequate staffing levels, access to experts (e.g. case managers, external educators), and recognition for the complexity of their role.

For practitioners leading the work

• Co-design a safe culture framework: What does safety mean to your residents? Use their voice to build a shared vision which includes community values, respectful relationships programming, campaigns that reflect your cohort, and accountability mechanisms when things go wrong.

  
  

• Train your residential teams: RAs and front-facing staff need training in how to respond to disclosures, scenario-based practice sessions (not just online modules), tools for boundary-setting and role clarity, and ongoing supervision or debrief opportunities.

  
  

• Plan for after-hours and escalation: Ask any accommodation staff member and they’ll tell you if things are going to go wrong, they will at 4pm on a Friday or at 2am on a Sunday. Make sure your response system includes after-hours staff or on-call managers, clear escalation pathways, partnerships with campus or external services, and agreed communication protocols.

  
  

• Use incidents to strengthen systems: When something goes wrong use the opportunity to review the system (not just the incident). Use data (incident types, timing, frequency, location) to target improvements.

Quick wins:

• Post multilingual, accessible signage about GBV support in all common areas.

• Include GBV response expectations in RA recruitment, induction, and KPIs.

• Host regular forums with students to check in on what’s working and what’s not.

• Share annual data and improvements with the residential community.

Student accommodation is where students live. If we say we’re serious about preventing GBV, we have to consider implications in every space students call home.

Interested to learn more? Read the rest of our series: Raising the Standard: A Practical Blog Series on Preventing GBV in Higher Education